Most passenger vehicles are provided with a trunk compartment for the convenient storage and transportation of luggage and other articles The trunk compartment is covered by a protective deck lid closure member pivotally attached to the vehicle. A latch, such as that of the fork-bolt and detent type well known in the art, is carried on the deck lid, or alternatively fixed to the vehicle, and engages a striker to maintain the deck lid closure in a covered position over the compartment. The latch is actuated to release the deck lid closure from its covered position over the trunk compartment by manipulation of the key cylinder actuator.
In the past, it was most common to orient the key cylinder actuator immediately adjacent the latch so that the key was directly operatively engaged with the latch. However, for technical and aesthetic reasons, is has become popular to locate the key actuator remote from the latch. For this reason, a flexible motion transmitting remote control core element is supported in a protective conduit and connected to each the key actuator and the latch.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,758 in the name of Kowalczyk, issued Mar. 12, 1991, and assigned to the assignee of the subject invention, discloses a typical prior art remote control latch assembly with a key actuator mounted remotely of the latch, and a core element and conduit arrangement operatively interconnecting the two. The conduit is integrally supported in a mounting frame of the key actuator to restrain the conduit against lengthwise, i.e., axial, movement.
In such constructions, the fixed relationship between the conduit and the mounting frame of the key actuator may, depending upon the configuration of the deck lid closure, force the conduit to bend in a somewhat tortious path with sharp turns between the key actuator and the latch. It will be readily appreciated that as the conduit is forced around sharp bends, the moving core element will experience increased friction within the conduit. Therefore, an operator in the process of opening the deck lid closure by turning the key in the key actuator must apply additional turning effort to overcome the increased friction caused by the sharply bent conduit. Accordingly, when the conduit is forced around tight turns, it will be more difficult for a person to unlatch the deck lid than if the conduit where routed through gradual, larger radii used, bends.